Question by anonymous: Model railroading problems any suggestions?
I am new to model railroading and put a DCC controller on a DC layout(stupid me)and nothing worked even my DCC locos, so i took it off and put the DC controller back on and then my DC locos were making weird sounds when running and my DCC locos that worked before dont work at all.
Any ideas?

Best answer:

Answer by dtwarwickWell, I’m not familiar with these controllers you describe, so this is a guess. I do have a Master’s in Electrical engineering though, so it’s not a completely uneducated guess. My guess is that the ‘DCC’ controller outputs a different voltage or power pattern (probably higher), and that you’ve blown components in your engines. You may be lucky and these components are just fuses or diodes. Or you may have burnt out motors.

I’d recommend you find out what voltage your engines are supposed to run on, get yourself a standard transformer rated for that current or higher, and test your engines independently. Once you’ve ruled out which ones are damaged and which ones aren’t, you can sort out what damage may have been done to the controller. It’s also possible your controller is rated for the total load you’re putting on it. If that’s the case, just reducing to a single engine and adding one at a time can help you find the upper limit.

With more information about the controllers & engines (Voltage & current ratings), more specific help might be offered.